


Pink in the Night

by stratusdreams



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Slice of Life, and they were roommates!, this is extremely self indulgent and no I am not sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratusdreams/pseuds/stratusdreams
Summary: Forensics major Thalia Armstrong moves into a new dorm with a girl she's never met before -- the quiet, reserved English major Millie. As their sophomore year begins, Thalia finds herself falling for her new roommate.
Relationships: Thalia (Magic: The Gathering)/Self Insert
Kudos: 2





	Pink in the Night

When Thalia arrived to move into her dorm, her new roommate was already settled in -- but she was nowhere to be found.

The other girl -- Millie, as Thalia had been told via email -- had decorated her side of the room with fairy lights and pastels. Several paintings adorned the walls; most were of flowers or birds. Millie’s bed was neatly made. A teddy bear was perched on the bed, dressed as a knight. Thalia pondered what sort of person Millie might be based only on her belongings as she put her own away. Her mother sat down on Thalia’s bed and began to take out and fold the young woman’s clothes.

“I like her aesthetic,” Thalia’s mother said as she set a hoodie down on the bed. “I’ve always liked pastels, you know.”

“I know, Mom.” Thalia shut the bottom drawer of her and Millie’s shared dresser. The ash blonde stood up and stretched, then turned to the door. A short woman with chin-length brown hair stood in the doorway, smiling apologetically.

“Sorry I wasn’t around when you got here,” the woman said softly. 

“You must be Millie!” Thalia’s mother exclaimed. “Oh, it’s so nice to meet you! I’m Angie, Thalia’s mom.”

Millie shook Angie’s hand and then glanced at Thalia. “I love your hair. It looks so soft.”

“Um… Thanks.” Thalia had never been good at accepting compliments, especially from cute girls. She focused on stuffing her jeans into her drawer instead of Millie.

“Well, I’ll let you girls get to bonding.” Angie stood up and grabbed her purse, then gave Thalia a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll text you when your stepfather and I get back home. Have a good night, okay?”

“Drive safe, Mom. Love you.” Thalia watched as her mother left the room. Once she was out of the room, Thalia turned back to Millie and addressed her. “So…”

Millie sat down on her bed for a moment. The brunette was wearing a black t shirt, a red and black flannel, a jean skirt, and black ballet flats. Her short hair was carefully straightened and curled inward to frame her face. Thalia felt her face heat up in embarrassment over her own outfit -- a simple gray shirt and blue athletic shorts with tennis shoes. 

Millie played with the hem of her skirt and gave Thalia a smile. “How about we head downtown and get something to eat together? And afterward we can go to all the antique shops.” The brunette pulled her keys out of her blue backpack. “I’ll drive.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Thalia replied, opening the door and watching Millie step out into the hallway. The two young women navigated the hall, which was filled with students and families moving into the dorm. Many of the students appeared to be freshman. Thalia sighed to herself and prayed that the freshman would be quiet during the weekends. 

Despite being a sophomore, Thalia had moved into the University of Thraben’s “freshman” dorm, Gavony Hall. She’d decided to move into Gavony Hall since it was the cheapest housing on campus. Originally, she was going to be living in Stensia Hall with her best friend, Grete. Grete, however, had transferred schools before the semester began, and Thalia hadn’t wanted to live alone in the “party” dorm. So she moved into Gavony with a person she had never met until that day.

“Whatcha thinkin’?” Millie’s voice broke Thalia from her reverie. 

“Oh… just hoping these freshman shut up on the weekends, y’know. They’re so annoying.”

“You were a freshman just last year,” the brunette said with a laugh. “Are you a wise sage now or something?”

“Well…” Thalia pouted a little as she and Millie stepped out into the sun. The August sky was a lovely shade of blue, with no clouds in the sky. As Millie and Thalia made their way to the former’s car, the blonde couldn’t help but feel relaxed. She was thankful for that. Last year had been hard, between her father’s new child and grueling coursework. Thalia prayed that this year would be easier on her.

The girls finally made it to Millie’s car, an old, beat-up red Camry. Thalia climbed into the car and noticed that there was a small stuffed toy panda on the dash. “What’s this?” she asked, gently touching it as she examined it.

“Oh, it’s just something my dad got me to protect my car,” Millie said as the girls pulled out of the parking lot. “He got it after his knee surgery. He put it in my car to keep me safe, since I’m so far from home, y’know?” She glanced to the backseat, then continued, “I’ve also got a walking stick he made for my grandmother. It’s got the Elder Futhark on it.”

“What’s that?”

“The oldest of the written runic languages,” Millie explained. “The runes on the walking stick are all symbols of protection.”

“That’s cool,” Thalia replied as she sat back. 

“Do you have any cool knick-knacks like that?”

“Uhm… not really. I just have a crucifix necklace that my stepfather gave me before I went off to college.”

“You’re Catholic?”

“Was.”

Millie smiled a little. “I was Lutheran. I know how it is. Christian guilt.”

“Catholic guilt is worse.”

“I bet.” The brunette parked the car, then grinned at Thalia. “How’s that for bonding?”

The blonde laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell my mom all about that. I’m sure she would approve.”

Thalia and Millie stood on the sidewalk, taking in downtown Thraben. The crisp New England air and abundant sunshine combined with Millie’s relaxed demeanor made Thalia feel at peace.

The girls decided to head to the local Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda. They sat down and as the waitress set their chips and salsa down, Thalia got a text from Grete. 

\--

**Grete** : Hey, what’s up? All moved in? What’s the new roommate like?

**Thalia** : Yeah. The new roommate… she’s cool… kinda cute.

**Grete** : You absolute disaster lesbian. Don’t tell me you’re gonna fall in love with her or something?

\--

“Everything okay?” Millie asked with a concerned expression.

“Uh, yeah, sorry. My best friend just sent me a text asking how things were. Just gotta

reply real quick.” Thalia gave Millie an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

“Hey, no worries! I just wanted to make sure everything was alright.” Millie’s voice was soft and comforting as she reached across the table and touched Thalia’s hand. “I know we just met but you can always talk to me, okay?”

“Thanks.” Thalia once again felt her face flush. 

\--

**Thalia** : Well… I’ll keep you updated. Ttyl. Eating.

\--

The waitress returned to take their orders. Once she left, Thalia decided to tease Millie a bit about her order. “No beans? Extra rice instead?”

“I don’t like the texture,” Millie said with a shrug. “A lot of foods are like that for me.”

“Understandable.” Thalia broke a chip in half and studied it. If her mother was here, she would have scolded Thalia for playing with her food. “I’ve always hated the texture of oranges.”

“Me too!” Millie look relieved. “It’s just… disgusting. I can’t stand it.” She shivered. “I’ve always been made fun of for hating them. But people just don’t get it.” 

“They’re dumb.”

“You said it!” Millie grinned. “Anyway. What are you studying?”

“Forensic biology,” the blonde explained. “I’ve always been interested in solving crimes, but I fuckin’ hate the cops. So I figured that working with the forensic side of things would be the way to go.” 

Millie nodded. “Yeah, cops are shit. But the forensic stuff is super cool. You ever watch Forensic Files?”

“All the time!”

“My mom is obsessed with it,” Millie explained. “When she comes home from work, she’ll put it on to unwind. She falls asleep with it on.”

“Ooh, I love falling sleep to murder on TV.”

The brunette laughed. “Yeah, it’s super fuckin’ weird. She’s always been a strange lady.”

“Anyway, enough about me and murder. How about you? What’s your major?”

“English! And I’m minoring in philosophy!” Millie blushed a little before adding, “It’s not nearly as exciting as forensics.”

“No, don’t say that! I bet English is a lot of fun. Not my cup of tea, but from the way you answered, it sounds like it’s yours.”

The brunette seemed relaxed. “Most people yell at me when I tell them I’m an English major,” she said. “Or give me a funny look. It’s nice to not have to deal with it, yknow? So, uh, thanks.”

Thalia wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Luckily, the waitress returned with their food, so she didn’t have to say anything at all.

Once their tab was paid, the girls headed to the nearby thrift shop to look around. Millie had begun to excitedly chatter about how much she adored thrift shopping. Thalia was content to listen, deciding that she would just follow Millie around the store. The blonde had never been into thrifting, but she was happy to indulge her new roommate for the day.

“Oooh! Thalia!” Millie held up a muted green plaid flannel. “This would look amazing on you! Whaddya think?”

“Uhm…” Thalia took the flannel and held it up to her chest. “To be honest, I’ve never worn plaid before…”

“Never?!” Millie gasped. “Here, I’ll buy this for you, okay? And then you’ll have your very own flannel!” She gestured to her own plaid shirt with a grin. “We’ll match.”

Thalia blushed. “Oh, you don’t have to--”

“But I want to!”

Seeing that there was no point in arguing, Thalia acquiesced. 

Millie wandered the aisles, her fingertips just barely grazing the clothing as she passed by. The brunette seemed totally lost in thought; she meandered without a care in the world. Thalia followed her, occasionally reaching out to touch the same fabric Millie touched, wondering what Millie was thinking as her fingers skimmed the cloth. Was she thinking about Thalia?

_Fuck, Thalia, you really_ are _a disaster._

“Are you seeing anything you like?” Millie asked, turning slightly to look back at Thalia. 

“Eh. Some of it’s cool.” She shrugged. “Sorry. I’m not a ‘thrift shop’ kind of person, I guess. There weren’t many where I’m from.”

“There weren’t any where I came from either,” the other girl responded. “I just… I’ve always liked old things, I guess. They’ve got a lot of personality.” She paused as she picked a bracelet off a stand and rolled it over in her palm. “I wonder about the people who owned these things before.” Millie took Thalia’s hand and placed the bracelet in it. “What a lovely color,” the brunette murmured. She smiled at Thalia warmly. “I think it would look good on you.”

_Oh no._

“Thanks,” Thalia murmured. “I think I’ll buy it. Maybe I can wear it with that flannel?”

Millie grinned. “I think that would look great.”

* * *

  
  


They returned to their dorm later that evening with a few bags full of various antiques and groceries. Millie and Thalia organized their fridge, carefully stacking Thalia’s containers of fruit on top of Millie’s sliced turkey. Once they were satisfied with their work, they sat back for a brief moment to admire it. “I can tell I’m out of shape,” Millie muttered, “because that wore me out.” She leaned against Thalia for a second so she could catch her breath. “I really should hit the gym…”

“Eh, you’re not the only one.” Thalia stood up, then offered Millie her hand so the brunette could stand. “Maybe we can go together?”

“I’d like that! You’ll just have to force me to go on some days… I was never an athlete.”

“You didn’t play sports?”

“Oh, _god_ , no.” Millie sighed, sitting down on her bed and examining her chipping pink nail polish. “I was the nerdy girl. Always picked last for gym, never got less than 10 minutes running the mile, that type of girl. You?”

“I was a 12-sport athlete,” Thalia said, almost apologetically. “Volleyball, basketball, track. I never had much time to myself, between sports and schoolwork. But that’s life, yeah?”

“Are you doing any sports here?”

“No. My stepfather really wanted me to, but…”

Millie stood and laid a comforting hand on Thalia’s shoulder. “Hey, I know how that is. You think any parents want their kid to end up an English major?” The brunette laughed, but Thalia could tell she was holding back pain. “We just have to do what we want, not what our parents want. No matter how… hard that is.” She gave Thalia a soft, almost unsure smile. “Anyway, I’m gonna go shower. I’ll be right back, okay?”

As soon as Millie had left the room, Thalia sent Grete a text.

**Thalia** : I’m so screwed.


End file.
